Malta has registered one of the strongest improvements in the European Union in innovation registering a 16.7-point increase since 2018.
The latest European Innovation Scoreboard indicates that Malta also recorded a 7.6-point increase year-on-year, the largest gain among all EU member states.
Malta has now moved ahead of Slovenia, Spain, Czechia, and Italy, placing at the top of the “moderate innovators” category.
The EIS is the EU’s flagship tool for benchmarking innovation performance across member states. It evaluates countries across 32 indicators and ranks them as Innovation Leaders, Strong, Moderate, or Emerging Innovators.
The Economy Ministry on Friday said Malta now leads the “Moderate Innovators” group and is on a “clear path toward joining the top tier”.
Commenting on the results, economy minister Silvio Schembri hailed the 16.7-point gain in the innovation score as “proof that Malta’s long-term economic direction is working”.
“We took bold steps to address weaknesses, build new sectors, and unlock local talent. Our policies are not only improving Malta’s innovation profile—they’re creating the jobs, companies, and opportunities of tomorrow. The message is clear: Malta means innovation,” Schembri said.
The ministry said that Malta’s progress is the result of sustained efforts across key innovation pillars including education and talent, digitalisation, green innovation and intellectual property.
Last year the government had launched a €10 million public venture capital co-investment fund to address the finance and support dimension of the EIS where it was lagging behind.
The ministry attributed Malta’s innovation rise to its “successful effort to establish new, high-value economic sectors” including blockchain and digital asset services, artificial intelligence and data economy ventures, vieo game development and eSports.
“These sectors not only attract foreign investment but also create new pathways for Maltese graduates, creatives, and entrepreneurs to thrive in the global digital economy,” the Ministry said.
In future, the ministry said it will expand co-investment efforts to attract larger venture capital funds and follow-on capital. It will also support scale-ups in accessing international growth funding and promote Malta as a launchpad for frontier innovation in the EU and the Mediterranean.
The government added it will embed innovation further into national planning, regulation and education.